Halston

Frowick Roy (1932-1990). American designer. Born Roy Halston Frowick in Des Moines Iowa, Halston emerged as the quintessential American designer of the 1970s, anticipating a modern ease with his use of fluid matte jerseys, and creating a slinky, luxurious opulence that would, 30 years later, inspire a generation of new designers, including Tom Ford at Gucci. Halston gave a clean new look to American fashion in the 1970s, with his palette of solid neutrals, fluid bias-cut silhouettes and emphasis on classic American design archetypes, such as turtlenecks, twin sets and blazers. He experimented with fabrics such as double-faced wools and Ultrasuede, Halston studied at the University of Indiana and the Art Institute of Chicago, where he began his career in Chicago as a milliner and window dresser, but in 1957 he moved to New York to work at Lily Daché and later Bergdorf Goodman. He founded his own company to design both hats and clothing in 1962; as a milliner he was most known for the pillbox design that Jacqueline Kennedy made famous in her White House years. In 1973 he sold his business to Norton Simon for 12 million dollars, and the company continued to expand into a plurality of licensing and production deals in everything from perfumes to household linens. It was sold several times again before his death in 1990. In 1983 he designed a Collection for the chain store J.C. Penney, and from then till his death in 1990 his company and its various licenses changed hands several times. In his later years Halston was photographed almost nightly at Studio 54, impeccably dressed in black and surrounded by women dressed in his designs.